Midland D-STAR Repeater

Monday, May 22, 2017

The remaining to-do item is BZ#1045, get proper Internet at the site. Although a pricing change at Karma has made this a little more urgent, there is a good possibility that the repeater will be moved to a new site somewhere in the relatively near future.

Because of this, it makes no sense to do something now, so BZ#1045 has been changed to "RESOLVED WONTFIX" for the time being.

The repeater does lock up once in a while. It seems to be far less frequent when it is set to digital only. The relatively long outage was the result of a corrupted SD card. It was a quick fix once we gained access to the site, but that took some time due mainly to missed signals.

Stations connecting via D-STAR are logged by the repeater. For the most part, stations coming in over RF have been WB8RCR, WB8WNF, WD8BPT and W8QN. Dozens, maybe hundreds of stations have appeared through links to reflectors and other repeaters.

Friday, February 3, 2017

Last night, February 2, WB8RCR gave a presentation on the new D-STAR
repeater to the Midland Amateur Radio Club. The slides are presented
below.

Although a discussion of the repeater was promised, most of this
presentation will be about D-STAR, how does it work, how do you use it.
Knowing that, the repeater makes more sense.

You all know D-STAR is a digital voice technology. What that means
is that when you speak into the microphone, your voice is digitized,
data is added to the packet, and the data is then transmitted over the
air.

When the packet is received, the data is sent to the screen on the radio, and the voice to the speaker.

D-STAR
repeaters are almost always linked. One thing that differentiates
D-STAR from other technologies like DMR is that with D-STAR, the user
determines the linking, rather than the repeater owner. If you want to
link the Midland repeater to the Battle Creek repeater, or the Glasgow
repeater, or the Brisbane repeater, fine.

To understand why D-STAR works the way it does, it helps to understand the stack of modules that make up a D-STAR repeater. To be useful, a D-STAR repeater has to have at least a radio module and a gateway module. Many D-STAR repeaters have multiple radio modules. The slide shows the naming convention for the modules. A 'B' module will be a 440 repeater, 'C' will be 2 meters, and 'G' will be a gateway.

Most of the Michigan D-STAR repeaters have both 2 meter and 440 modules. There are a few that also have 23 cm voice and 23 cm high speed data. D-STAR voice modules can also carry data, but they are much slower than the 23 cm 'D' module.

To give you control over the repeater, each D-STAR data packet includes 4
'call signs', each with a specific purpose. MYCALL is obvious, it
should be the call sign of the person holding the microphone.

RPT1
is the call of the repeater module you are connecting with. You can
think of this one as like PL on an analog repeater. If you transmit on
the Midland repeater's frequency with RPT1 set to the call of Battle
Creek, the Midland repeater will ignore you, since it knows you aren't
talking to it, but to some other repeater.

RPT2 is perhaps the
most confusing. This is almost always the gateway module for the
repeater in RPT1. If you leave RPT2 blank, you can still be heard on the
local repeater, but you will not be heard on any linked repeater. You
will, however, still hear calls made through the linked repeater.

URCALL
almost always contains CQCQCQ, meaning you will be heard by anyone. As
we will see later, this field can also issue commands to the repeater.

The first 6 characters of a call sign field are the call sign,
as you would expect. The seventh character is the module letter. In
the URCALL field, the eighth character is the command. If the call you
are referencing has less than six characters, you need to leave enough
spaces for the module letter to appear in position 7 and the command in
8.

In addition to your call in the MYCALL field, you may also program a message to be sent along with your call. People frequently put their name, location, and sometimes the kind of radio they are using in this message. When they key the mike, you will see this scroll across your screen.

To program your radio for the Midland repeater, set the frequency to 444.350, duplex, offset 5 MHz (standard for 440), no PL. PL has no meaning in D-STAR. Set RPT1 to KC8ARJ B, module B being the 440 module. RPT2 set to KC8ARJ G, the gateway, and URCALL to CQCQCQ.

This basically says that you will talk to anyone on the repeater, like a normal repeater, but you will also talk to anyone on a repeater or reflector linked to the repeater.

The URCALL field is where stuff happens; particularly the eighth position of URCALL. If this is an I, the repeater will tell you about itself, an E will cause your transmission to be echoed, an L links the repeater to something else, and a U unlinks.

To use the commands, you set the eighth character, key the mike for a second, then go back to CQCQCQ to use whatever you have set up. In the case of E, Echo, you speak for a few seconds. On most radios you can make this change from the front panel, but depending on the radio it might be a bit of a pain. If you only use a few D-STAR repeaters, you might program channels for the common commands.

So for example, set an I in position 8, key the mike for a second, and 'Linked to REF024 C' might scroll across the screen and the repeater speaks 'Linked to R E F 0 2 4 charlie'. During the meeting we demonstrated this with an HT. Put an E in position 8, key the mike and speak for a few seconds, and the repeater repeats your transmission back to you. This is a great way to tell how well you are making the repeater.

To link to a reflector, you need to put the name of the reflector in URCALL before the L in position 8. Key the mike for a second, the repeater responds as it does for 'I'. Return to CQCQCQ to talk over the reflector. A reflector is kind of like a chat room for repeaters. It is a place that a number of repeaters may link.

To unlink, simply send a U in position 8 and the repeater will be unlinked from whatever it is linked to, and respond with 'Not Linked'.

You can link to a repeater, just like to a reflector. Reflector names are always 7 characters, but repeaters might be less, to you may need blanks to move the module letter to position 7 and the link command to position 8. For example, W 8 D F blank blank C L to link to the 2 meter module of the Battle Creek repeater, or W X 8 G R R B L for the 440 module at Grand Rapids.

Some newer radios have a DR mode. You download a repeater list from the Internet and read it into the radio. The list can include both D-STAR and analog repeaters. You can then see a list of repeaters and simply touch the repeater on the screen to setup frequency, offset and PL for analog repeaters, calls for D-STAR repeaters.

Since these radios have a GPS, you can see the list of repeaters sorted by distance from you. You can even scan nearby repeaters, and the list will update as you drive. In this mode, there are on-screen choices to linking, info, echo, etc.

Pressing the DR button on the radio brings up two boxes. Tapping the lower 'From' box gives you a choice or a repeater list, a nearby repeater list, or a list of repeaters to which you have recently transmitted.

Tapping the top box, gives you the menu of linking, unlinking, info and echo.

WD8BPT brought his ID-5100, and antenna and power supply into the meeting so we could demonstrate how simple it is to load the repeater list and get on the air. It took less than two minutes, even in demo mode, to load all the Michigan repeaters and many from adjoining states into Denny's 5100.

There are a LOT of reflectors. Some of the common ones are

REF024C an open reflector commonly used around Michigan. Repeaters in Midland, Owosso, Stutsmanville, Howell and Traverse City are often linked to this reflector.

REF024A the Michigan ARES reflector. This reflector is used by ARES groups, including the SEOC, when there is an activation. There is an ARES net on this reflector every Monday evening.

REF001C is sometimes called the Megarepeater. A couple dozen repeaters around the world are commonly linked, as well as a lot of hotspots, mostly in English-speaking countries. This tends to be a favorite of British, Irish and Scottish operators but is open to anyone.

REF004C is often used by folks meeting on REF001C but moving off for a rag chew to free up the very busy REF001C

REF030C is a lot like REF001C except that mostly it links U.S. repeaters

Since the radios typically have GPS, you can configure your radio to transmit your location as part of the packet. Then the receiving station can get a display of your location. In this screenshot, Dave, G7HJX was in his car transmitting from Burntwood Staff's, which is apparently 3631 miles northeast of WB8RCR.

Most of the reflectors have Internet dashboards. Here you can see the repeaters linked in, any hotspots linked, as well as the recently heard stations. If the station's call is shown in orange, clicking on it will show you the location on Google Maps.

So finally we get to talking about the repeater itself. It is the same Yaesu DR-1X Fusion repeater that has been there about a year, but we have added a Raspberry Pi and an NW Digital UDRC, which allows D-STAR to be added to the previous Fusion and analog capabilities. We also added a power controller which allows for the repeater power to be cycled remotely.

Here are some of the more common radios. The Icom ID-5100 is a dual band mobile, very feature-rich. Even if you are not interested in D-STAR, the capabilities of this radio make it a great choice if you want a high-end mobile. The main downside is that the control head is huge to accommodate the large touch screen. However, the format of the head is a lot like a GPS, so windshield mounts intended for a GPS work well.

The ID-51A+ is kind of the handheld sister of the ID-5100. The ID-51A+2 add a Bluetooth hotspot, so you can tether the HT to your phone, and continue your conversation on a reflector even when you aren't in repeater range.

The ID-880H is a current D-STAR radio, but the small display makes working with D-STAR challenging.

The Kenwood TH-D74A is interesting in that it is a three band D-STAR radio, in addition to 2 meters and 440 it adds 220 capability. If does not, however, support DPRS.

The Icom IC-7100 is a D-STAR radio that also does HF. There are, in fact, HF D-STAR nets. This radio also has DR mode, but it isn't quite as polished as the 5100.

There are a number of ways to access the D-STAR reflectors when you are not within range of a repeater.

The old standard is the DV Dongle. This lets you connect to D-STAR using your computer's speaker and microphone, no radio required. The DVAP is like your private, D-STAR repeater. Like the DV Dongle, it connects to your PC, but it requires a D-STAR radio. The DV4mini adds DMR capabilities, but otherwise is similar to the DVAP. The DV-Mega sits on a Raspberry Pi, providing similar features to the DV4mini without typing up your computer.

The current status follows. The complete status, rather than just the 'to do' items are outlined below. Most likely, this long list won't be updated online soon, if ever.

The repeater is now at the permanent location and working. Coverage appears to be quite good, but remains to be extensively tested. We have temporary Internet at the site, hope to have full featured Internet in the Spring. There is an amplifier at the site, yet to be tested. Again, probably in the Spring.

In the meanwhile, the repeater is functioning well and people are encouraged to use it.

For the terminally curious, specifics of some of the development materials are maintained at gitlab:

Product page info below screen cap visible portion
Open Source Applications Supported by Others:
dstarrepeater (and optionally ircddbgateway)
DIREWOLF 1200/9600 AX25
The UDRC is a Raspberry Pi HAT containing all of the necessary
hardware to directly interface to a radio or repeater.
The UDRC is compliant with the Raspberry Pi HAT Specification
and has the ID EEPROM which directly loads the device table for
the UDRC on boot up. The Ideal Diode circuit allows the Pi to be
powered by either the Micro USB jack or external 12VDC.
Direct Connection to the Yaesu DR1-X Repeater is available with
the HD-15 Cable and adds D-STAR Capability to your Fusion
Repeater. This cable must have all 15 pins wired straight
through.
Alternatively the Mini DIN-6 Cable can be used to connect to the
Data Port on a standard HF/VHF/UHF Radio. This cable must have
all 6 pins wired straight through.

KC8ARJ shows as a hotspot on dashboards, rather than as a
repeater. Why is that?

2016-09-11 11:04:22:

Posted a message in the UDRC board

2016-09-11 11:40:08:

Normal behavior.

ID

Estimate

Status

Description

983

2016-09-11

FIXED

Order quality SD cards

2016-09-11 09:33:37:

Need a Class 10, 8G SD card, preferably SanDisk or Kingston

2016-09-11 11:13:08:

One of these looks like a possibility:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA12K1RK3174&cm_re=sdhc_class_10-_-9SIA12K1RK3174-_-Product
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA12K4830573&cm_re=sdhc_class_10-_-0DF-0005-00JN6-_-Product
Both 18 day delivery, one ships from Taiwan, the other from the
U.S. The U.S. one is a little more expensive and a little
slower, although we don't care about speed nearly as much as
life.

2016-09-11 11:14:00:

Also
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA12K4830573&cm_re=sdhc_class_10-_-0DF-0005-00JN6-_-Product
Also 18 days from Hong Kong.

Starting automatically from interfaces allows selection of
network based on priority. Good solution.

ID

Estimate

Status

Description

994

2016-09-12

FIXED

Investigate hang time control

2016-09-11 11:16:21:

Not much found in config panel.

2016-09-12 08:17:08:

No real opportunities in configuration panel. Need to
investigate source.

2016-10-12 09:00:08:

Additional update:
Walt wondered whether the bare Fusion without the remote would
have a squelch tail. Tried:
- Shutdown the Pi
- Turn off remote on repeater
- Disconnect the Pi
- Cycle power on the repeater
After each step, tested and still no squelch tail.

John Jays likes this one
http://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B016954T3I/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1465094927&sr=8-1&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=hifiberry+case
$14.97 - apparently takes a little work.

2016-09-12 14:33:07:

Mike Morneau suggests
http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/83-16355
$4.97
with the possible addition of spacers
http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/83-16386
$2.29
He indicates holes for the VGA and DIN connectors would need to
be routed out.
I suspect the same with the case Hays suggests

2016-09-12 14:38:37:

Looks like the MCM case might also want a shroud for the USB
connectors and possibly the SD port. Probably nice for an
unattended installation. Also looks as though there might be a
light pipe.

2016-09-12 21:56:01:

From: auto-confirm@amazon.com
Reply-to: auto-confirm@amazon.com
To: wb8rcr@arrl.net
Subject: Your Amazon.com order of Raspberry Pi 3 Model B... and
1 more item.
Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2016 00:00:19 +0000 (09/12/2016 08:00:19
PM)
Amazon.com Order Confirmation
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Hello JOHN MCDONOUGH,
Thank you for shopping with us. You ordered "Raspberry Pi 3
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Well send a confirmation when your items ship.
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Details
Order #103-4845455-0913016
Arriving:
Monday, September 19
Ship to:
John J. McDonough
2211 LAUREL LN...
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Order Total: $58.88
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2016-09-12 21:56:58:

From: talk@mcmelectronics.com
To: wb8rcr@arrl.net
Subject: MCM Electronics Confirmation - Order #W001578800
Date: 12 Sep 2016 21:02:53 -0400
Thank you for placing your order with MCM Electronics.
Your order has been submitted and will be processed shortly.
Order Information
Order Number: W001578800 on 9/12/2016 9:01:20 PM
Email Address: wb8rcr@arrl.net
Payment Type: Credit Card
Product Total: $12.65
Shipping: $7.99 - 00 Super Saver Shipping
Tax: $0.00
Order Total: $20.64
Order Line Items
1
83-16355 - Blue Raspberry Pi Enclosure for B+ and Pi 2 Model B
$4.59
$4.59
2
83-16386 - Blue Spacer for 83-16355 for B+ and Pi 2 Model B
$2.29
$4.58
1
83-16391 - Blue USB Port Cover for 83-16355 for B+ and Pi 2 Model
B
$1.99
$1.99
1
83-16396 - Blue SD Port Cover for 83-16355 for B+ and Pi 2 Model
B
$1.49
$1.49
Common Questions
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It looks as though the hang time is set in the code, 1000 must
not be 1000 seconds, milliseconds would be reasonable, but I
don't see 1000ms happening, so....
DStarRepeaterTXRXThread.cpp:m_activeHangTimer(1000U),

2016-09-12 17:42:19:

There is a configuration line
activeHangTime=4
and a fair bit of code around it. The configuration panel has a
slider for that which indicates the value is in seconds.
However, the code defaults it to 1000 (unsigned) so milliseconds
would make more sense.
Setting activeHangTime to 1000 causes the repeater to refuse to
transmit.

2016-09-15 12:38:29:

It appears that the remote board never touches the analog
repeater. No code seems to deal with it, so any changes would
have to be made in the repeater.
There is a setting, which is called hangTime in the source, but
changing that setting seems to do nothing. Even more
interesting, it shows as seconds in the configuration panel, but
milliseconds in the code.
In any case, it appears the analog hang time isn't easily fixed.

ID

Estimate

Status

Description

979

2016-09-16

FIXED

Receive UDRC/Pi Case

2016-09-11 09:25:39:

Wait for delivery

2016-09-12 21:57:49:

Amazon claims Sep 19 delivery

2016-09-13 20:09:53:

From: mcmelectronics-noreply@mcmelectronics.com
To: WB8RCR@ARRL.NET
Subject: MCM Ship Confirmation 044419
Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2016 14:01:43 -0400 (EDT)
Dear JOHN MCDONOUGH,
Thank you for your recent order with MCM Electronics. We
appreciate your business.
This email is to confirm that your order 044419 has shipped
today, 09/13/16. Also, attached is a copy of your packing slip
for your convenience.
*******************************************
TRACKING YOUR SHIPMENT:
Your FEDERAL EXPRESS shipment tracking number is
74899995858623093146 and should become available to track
sometime during the next business day.
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Your Connection to Electronic Products and Components
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For questions concerning your order:
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********************************Disclaimer***********************************
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information. It
is intended to be conveyed only to the designated recipient(s).
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2016-09-15 12:44:17:

Amazon case has still not shipped.
FedEx tracking is currently down so cannot get status on MCM
case, however it shipped on 9/13, apparently from California, so
delivery Friday or Monday seems reasonable.

2016-09-16 13:29:48:

MCM case arrived

2016-09-16 13:30:17:

Will go ahead with MCM case

ID

Estimate

Status

Description

987

2016-09-19

FIXED

Select LTE provider

2016-09-12 10:29:17:

There are a number of LTE providers that can provide quite low
cost for limited data quantity. Estimate it would be hard to use
up 1Gb per month.

2016-09-16 12:22:11:

Karma looks to be the winner.
They rely on Sprint's WiMax, not actual LTE but several sources
claim excellent coverage where we need it. Their little hotspot
is $79 and they charge $14 per gig of data which doesn't expire.
That means with our probable usage of under a quarter gig a
month, they are under four bucks a month.
Freedom Spot is another cheapie. The hotspot is $100 but when
done you can send it back for a full refund providing you have
kept all the packaging. Their monthly charge for a half-gig is
zero! Also WiMax. You can also pay $10 per month for a gig,
although totally free sounds appealing but suspicious.
Verizon's cheapest prepaid plan appears to be $35/2 months, not
clear what the hotspot actually costs. Looks like maybe a $50
hotspot, $18/month not so bad if we can cancel quickly. We know
Verizon coverage is good.

2016-09-17 16:19:06:

The website comparing the hotspot offerings was apparently a
little out of date. The Karma they are talking about, Karma
Classic, is no longer available and no longer works. Apparently,
WiMax was shut off a year ago.
The new Karma is a little more expensive, $100 for the box
instead of $80, and $15 per gig instead of $14, but it still
looks like a winner.
https://yourkarma.com/

2016-09-20 14:34:35:

Selected Karma Go

ID

Estimate

Status

Description

980

2016-09-20

FIXED

Modify/Install UDRC/Pi Case

2016-09-11 09:27:25:

Indication is that case will need some modification

2016-09-16 14:29:46:

Case with one spacer fits Pi + UDRC, *but*
- Supplied screws not long enough with spacer
- Light pipes in the wrong place (Pi 2?)

2016-09-16 16:13:25:

Looks like it works without spacer.
Light pipe goes to Bluetooth antenna instead of LEDs. Will want
to drill some holes so we can see the LEDs.

Looks like we can simply delete all the gzipped log files after
the backup has run. Probably should decide about backing up the
system logs as well as the openDV logs,

2016-09-25 11:40:11:

Backup logs to cimbaoth
#!/bin/sh -x
FILENAME=`date +'%Y%m%d-opendv.tar.gz'`
FILENAME2=`date +'%Y%m%d-log.tar.gz'`
NODE="71.10.153.139"
#
*****************************************************************
# REMOVE THIS LINE WHEN ON ANOTHER NETWORK
#
*****************************************************************
NODE="cimbaoth"
TARGET="/backup03/backup/kc8arj/"
tar -czf ${FILENAME} /etc/opendv/*
tar -czf ${FILENAME2} /var/log/opendv/*
scp ${FILENAME} backup@${NODE}:${TARGET}
scp ${FILENAME2} backup@${NODE}:${TARGET}
rm -f ${FILENAME} ${FILENAME2}
Clear out old logs on Mondays
#!/bin/sh
rm /var/log/opendv/*log.?.gz
And finally the crontab:
MAILTO=root@localhost.localdomain
# Edit this file to introduce tasks to be run by cron.
#
# Each task to run has to be defined through a single line
# indicating with different fields when the task will be run
# and what command to run for the task
#
# To define the time you can provide concrete values for
# minute (m), hour (h), day of month (dom), month (mon),
# and day of week (dow) or use '*' in these fields (for 'any').#
# Notice that tasks will be started based on the cron's system
# daemon's notion of time and timezones.
#
# Output of the crontab jobs (including errors) is sent through
# email to the user the crontab file belongs to (unless
redirected).
#
# For example, you can run a backup of all your user accounts
# at 5 a.m every week with:
# 0 5 * * 1 tar -zcf /var/backups/home.tgz /home/
#
# For more information see the manual pages of crontab(5) and
cron(8)
#
# m h dom mon dow command
#
# Backup logs each night 3 minutes before midnight zulu
#
57 23 * * * /root/backitup
#
# Clear out gzipped logs each Monday right after backup
#
59 23 * * 1 /root/cleanLogs

Job didn't run first Monday because script wasn't marked
executable. Next schedule is October 10.

2016-10-09 11:23:10:

Updated script to kill logs with more than a single digit version
#!/bin/sh
date >/root/cleanLogs.log
rm /var/log/opendv/*log.*.gz >>/root/cleanLogs.log
2>>/root/cleanLogs.log

ID

Estimate

Status

Description

1033

2016-10-15

FIXED

Power control strategy long

2016-10-27 09:41:48:

Long term strategy for repeater power control

ID

Estimate

Status

Description

1032

2016-10-19

FIXED

Power control strategy short

2016-10-27 09:41:48:

Short term strategy for repeater power control

ID

Estimate

Status

Description

1034

2016-10-22

FIXED

Design power control

2016-10-27 09:41:49:

Design repeater power control circuitry

ID

Estimate

Status

Description

1035

2016-10-23

FIXED

Breadboard power control

2016-10-27 09:41:49:

Build repeater power control circuitry on solderless breadboard

ID

Estimate

Status

Description

1037

2016-10-29

FIXED

Order power control parts

2016-10-27 09:41:49:

Order parts to construct power control circuit

2016-11-01 10:32:42:

From: customer.service2@digikey.com
To: WB8RCR@ARRL.NET
Subject: Shipment from Digi-Key
Date: 31 OCT 16 02:11:38 UT (10/30/2016 10:11:38 PM)
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We have billed this to your Visa credit card.
----- Shipment from Digi-Key on 31-OCT-2016 -----
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Configure the Pi to use the hotspot network, adjust the backup
scheme for the external address, test repeater using LTE hotspot.

2016-09-30 17:52:38:

Date adjusted based on FedEx delivery projection

2016-10-05 09:09:30:

Initial investigation very discouraging. Device requires a
browser. On the website it indicated browser-less devices were
usable. However, a month later the website is very different,
and it appears that a browser-less device costs $15 a month in
addition to the $15 a gig.
Will investigate spoofing the browser login.

2016-10-06 13:50:12:

Initial testing with cell phone indicates that it might well
remember MACs which had been logged on. Turning off hotspot AND
phone for about 5 minutes, next connection doesn't need login.
Need further testing but encouraging.

2016-10-07 09:34:51:

Powered Karma off overnight. Thought I also had phone turned off
but didn't. After cycling power on phone, came up connected to
Karma no sign-in screen.

2016-10-11 14:20:41:

Now connected to Karma. Appears to link to many (but not all)
reflectors. Have Karma getting power from Pi.
Will run this way for a bit and see how it plays.

2016-10-12 08:47:06:

Still reserving judgment until we have had a few days, but so
far, the Karma looks promising. Some limitations tho:
- First it needs a browser. It looks like once you have signed
on with the
browser, you don't need to sign on again. But there is a risk
that after
a certain amount of time it will time out and need to be
re-authorized
- Because we cannot do port forwarding, we cannot connect to all
reflectors,
but the key ones of interest seem to work just fine. Some
folks online have
reported a symptom with improper port forwarding where they can
link and
hear but not be heard. So far I haven't observed that
behavior.
- Again because of no port forwarding, we won't be able to ssh
through into
the Pi and thus can't control the Pi remotely. However, we
should be able
to control by RF (most actions yet to be tested - need to add
some more
bugs to make sure we do that). And we can probably provide
"pull" commands
on a web server somewhere to perform the key operations of
interest.
All of this is resolved once we have "real" Internet.

2016-10-14 15:37:29:

Give it more time to get confidence with Karma

2016-10-18 09:50:29:

Checked out over the air commands. It appears that the
predetermined commands work, but not those where we have an
opportunity to add the command.
Control over RF:
RPT1: CTLARJ1
RPT2: CTLARJ2
URCALL:
SLEEP - stops dstarrepeater
WAKE - starts dstarrepeater
REBOOT - supposed to reboot but doesn't
STAT1 - supposed to transmit status but doesn't
Created a script that tests for a file on the web. If a file
called 'cycle' exists the raspberry pi cycles repeater power
(hardware to be constructed). If a file called 'reboot' exists,
the raspberry pi reboots.
This is the theory. In fact, shutdown -r now does not work either
from the control script or from a command in dstarrepeater. It
does, however, work when typed from the command line. Must be
some weird Debian thing. Need to investigate.

ID

Estimate

Status

Description

1039

2016-11-15

FIXED

Receive power control PCB

2016-10-27 09:41:49:

Repeater power control printed circuit boards arrive

2016-11-10 21:18:48:

Projected delivery Nov 15

ID

Estimate

Status

Description

1041

2016-11-20

FIXED

Construct power control circuit

2016-10-27 09:41:49:

Assemble the production circuit for the repeater power control

ID

Estimate

Status

Description

1042

2016-12-17

FIXED

Develop short-term firmware

2016-10-27 09:41:49:

Design and test firmware for the short term repeater power
control, both PIC and Pi

2016-11-14 10:23:54:

Largely complete
commit 56e57f72d9b15bf1256c4f30ba4dd6a59e5bce3c
Still want to make a new branch with doxygen

2016-12-13 09:22:04:

Original firmware worked, however, power cycles every 30 minutes
without the Pi software running, so something else was signalling
the controller.
Moving to a more involved signal, where three pulses of specific
length are required to signal the controller to cycle power.

ID

Estimate

Status

Description

1044

2016-12-22

FIXED

Package power control

2016-10-27 09:41:50:

Develop physical packaging for repeater power control circuit

2016-11-14 08:36:04:

Holes cut, plugs/jacks mounted, now need to wait for PCB.

2016-11-22 08:12:49:

Still need outlet

2016-11-26 11:58:05:

Still need more time, hope to do today

2016-12-02 15:03:29:

Still having trouble with packaging

2016-12-05 08:11:02:

Got box to work (sort of), had been connected to a poor choice of
Raspberry Pi pin. But a new issue emerges. On boot, the RPi pin
is not an output, must be pulled up because it goes high in spite
of the PIC's weak pull-down. Once getit runs, it gets set low,
and a minute later the plug is pulled.
After about 20 seconds, the cycle starts all over.

ID

Estimate

Status

Description

985

2017-01-16

FIXED

Schedule 2030 install

2016-09-12 10:30:56:

Schedule a time to move the repeater to 2030

2016-11-26 11:58:56:

Predecessor slipped so slip this one, too.

2017-01-26 07:20:48:

From: John Wolters
To: wb8rcr@arrl.net, wb8rcr@chartermi.net
Subject: Repeater install?
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2017 23:12:29 -0500
John,
Just got a call to confirm install of the repeater tomorrow
(Wed). Can you be available at 4:30 pm?
Sorry about the e-mail but was not willing to call so late.
John Wolters

ID

Estimate

Status

Description

992

2017-01-18

FIXED

Make backup SD

2016-09-11 09:49:16:

Need to create a backup SD card immediately before taking
repeater to site

2016-09-12 10:32:15:

Create a backup of the SD card. Moved date to the day before
install since this wants to be the LAST thing we do.

Installed repeater, cans, etc. Karma was able to get connection.
However, we were missing a male-male N barrel connector for the
antenna. W8QN found one, will try to get back up there Jan 26.

2017-01-27 14:38:25:

W8QN installed missing barrel connector

ID

Estimate

Status

Description

996

2017-02-14

Test 100 watt amp

2016-09-12 10:49:37:

Repeater will initially be set for 20 watts. It is unknown at
this time whether the addition of an external amplifier will
result in excess desense. After the repeater is at the site, an
amp will be tested for coverage.

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Testing the logic started out OK. Creating a file on Cimbaoth, it was read by the Raspberry Pi, which then signaled the power controller to cycle power which it did.

However, after running a while, it was clear that the power was also being cycled on occasion when it was not commanded. This caused a need for more complex signaling between the Pi and the controller so it was harder to be misunderstood.

As of this point in time, the logic for recognizing a more complex signal, and for generating that signal, has been developed, but not yet added to the production controller.

ID

Estimate

Status

Description

917

2016-08-10

FIXED

Order NW Digital board

981

2016-09-11

WONTFIX

KC8ARJ as repeater

983

2016-09-11

FIXED

Order quality SD cards

986

2016-09-11

FIXED

Validate LTE

982

2016-09-12

FIXED

WiFi startup

994

2016-09-12

FIXED

Investigate hang time control

978

2016-09-13

FIXED

Select UDRC/Pi Case

984

2016-09-15

FIXED

SD card receive

995

2016-09-15

WONTFIX

Investigate hang time in source

979

2016-09-16

FIXED

Receive UDRC/Pi Case

987

2016-09-19

FIXED

Select LTE provider

980

2016-09-20

FIXED

Modify/Install UDRC/Pi Case

988

2016-09-20

FIXED

Order LTE Device

989

2016-10-04

FIXED

Receive LTE device

991

2016-10-10

FIXED

Log file strategy

1033

2016-10-15

FIXED

Power control strategy long

1032

2016-10-19

FIXED

Power control strategy short

1034

2016-10-22

FIXED

Design power control

1035

2016-10-23

FIXED

Breadboard power control

1037

2016-10-29

FIXED

Order power control parts

1040

2016-11-02

FIXED

Receive power control parts

1038

2016-11-03

FIXED

Order power control PCB

1036

2016-11-03

FIXED

Power control PCB

990

2016-11-06

FIXED

Configure/Test LTE Device

1039

2016-11-15

FIXED

Receive power control PCB

1041

2016-11-20

FIXED

Construct power control circuit

1044

2016-12-04

ASSIGNED

Package power control

985

2016-12-09

ASSIGNED

Schedule 2030 install

992

2016-12-14

ASSIGNED

Make backup SD

1042

2016-12-16

REOPENED

Develop short-term firmware

993

2016-12-24

ASSIGNED

Move to 2030

996

2017-01-07

ASSIGNED

Test 100 watt amp

ID

Estimate

Status

Description

1044

2016-12-04

Package power control

2016-10-27 09:41:50:

Develop physical packaging for repeater power control circuit

2016-11-14 08:36:04:

Holes cut, plugs/jacks mounted, now need to wait for PCB.

2016-11-22 08:12:49:

Still need outlet

2016-11-26 11:58:05:

Still need more time, hope to do today

2016-12-02 15:03:29:

Still having trouble with packaging

2016-12-05 08:11:02:

Got box to work (sort of), had been connected to a poor choice of
Raspberry Pi pin. But a new issue emerges. On boot, the RPi pin
is not an output, must be pulled up because it goes high in spite
of the PIC's weak pull-down. Once getit runs, it gets set low,
and a minute later the plug is pulled.
After about 20 seconds, the cycle starts all over.

ID

Estimate

Status

Description

985

2016-12-09

Schedule 2030 install

2016-09-12 10:30:56:

Schedule a time to move the repeater to 2030

2016-11-26 11:58:56:

Predecessor slipped so slip this one, too.

ID

Estimate

Status

Description

992

2016-12-14

Make backup SD

2016-09-11 09:49:16:

Need to create a backup SD card immediately before taking
repeater to site

2016-09-12 10:32:15:

Create a backup of the SD card. Moved date to the day before
install since this wants to be the LAST thing we do.

2016-11-26 12:01:29:

Must be 993 - 1 day

ID

Estimate

Status

Description

1042

2016-12-16

Develop short-term firmware

2016-10-27 09:41:49:

Design and test firmware for the short term repeater power
control, both PIC and Pi

2016-11-14 10:23:54:

Largely complete
commit 56e57f72d9b15bf1256c4f30ba4dd6a59e5bce3c
Still want to make a new branch with doxygen

2016-12-13 09:22:04:

Original firmware worked, however, power cycles every 30 minutes
without the Pi software running, so something else was signalling
the controller.
Moving to a more involved signal, where three pulses of specific
length are required to signal the controller to cycle power.

ID

Estimate

Status

Description

993

2016-12-24

Move to 2030

2016-09-12 10:54:35:

Install the repeater at the permanent site at 2030 building.

2016-11-26 11:59:18:

Predecessor slipped so slip this one, too.

ID

Estimate

Status

Description

996

2017-01-07

Test 100 watt amp

2016-09-12 10:49:37:

Repeater will initially be set for 20 watts. It is unknown at
this time whether the addition of an external amplifier will
result in excess desense. After the repeater is at the site, an
amp will be tested for coverage.

Saturday, November 5, 2016

The previous power control version used a PIC24FJ64GM002, a 28-pin part with 64K of flash. For the simple problem at hand, that PIC was gross overkill, but it happened to be what I had on hand.

The PIC24F04KA200 is much better suited to the task. It still is something of an overkill. Although 4K of flash is pretty tiny for a PIC24, the application ended up taking less than a tenth of that. Still, it's 14-pin package and low price make it a better choice.

After some experimentation, during which I got concerned about the base current, I decided to put each of the relays on their own output. The PIC24F04KA200 can source 18 mA per output pin, and the final base current was measured at slightly over 4 mA so there is plenty of headroom.

Basically, the board is supplied with 5 volts which is needed for the relays. The relays are operated by transistors so the PIC doesn't need to see the full current of the relays which it would not be capable of handling. A regulator supplies 3 volts for the PIC, chosen because the PI outputs are 3 volts.

On a signal from the Pi, the PIC waits long enough for the Pi to shut down, interrupts the power for a short time, then re-applies the power which causes the Pi to reboot (the Pi is powered by the repeater).

The final circuit looks like this:

Power Controller Schematic

A printed circuit board was laid out, the layout looks like:

PCB Layout As Designed

The 6-pin header on the left is for programming the PIC, not shown on the schematic. Also not shown on the schematic are two ways to apply power; the two-pin header on the left and the microUSB on the bottom. Depending on how the packaging works out, one or the other will be used.

The "realistic" view of the PCB is:

"Photo-Realistic" View of Printed Circuit Board

The actual board is not expected to arrive until November 15. I selected the high-priced spread (Accutrace) because they are about two weeks faster than my normal supplier (MakerStudio). They are also extremely diligent. I covered some of the microUSB pins with solder mask because that makes it easier to solder by hand. They immediately emailed me with a PDF showing the issue and asking if that is what I really wanted. That isn't normal but I'm surprised they picked up on that.